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House Speaker Glen Casada joins call for context around Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in state Capitol

Two activists, Justin Jones and Janeisha Harris were arrested during a protest at the Tennessee Capitol building.
Nashville Tennessean

Amid continued protests surrounding the bust of the Confederate general and early KKK leader, Casada joins Gov. Bill Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally in supporting the addition of more historical context.

House Speaker Glen Casada joined the state's two other top leaders saying Thursday he is open to adding historical context to a controversial bust inside the state Capitol that honors a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader.

As protesters returned to the statehouse to call for the removal of the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, Casada joined Gov. Bill Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally in supporting the move to add context.

"I think that most definitely historical context is a good thing," Casada said.

His remarks came moments before Casada once again had a confrontational interaction with a protester, who authorities said threw a cup of coffee at the speaker.

Casada, R-Franklin, said the legislature should make the decision.

"Let's bring it to the committee and let's talk about that and let's let the House and the Senate decide what to do," Casada said.

Casada also said he would support moving the bust to a museum if lawmakers make that decision.

Casada said he was not aware of any legislation that would allow lawmakers to take up the issue this session.

But Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, and leader of the legislature's Black Caucus, said now that Casada has suggested the possibility of adding context, the caucus would likely file legislation to do so.

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A protester tries to cover the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest with fabric in Tennessee Capitol in Nashville on Monday, August 14, 2017. In wake of Charlottesville, about 75 protesters took aim at Nathan Bedford Forrest bust which is on display at Tennessee Capitol. Shelley Mays/The Tennessean

Sinclair Tucker of Knoxville poses for a friend in front of the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest which was being guarded by Tennessee State troopers at the state Capitol Monday, August 14, 2017. About 75 activists condemning white supremacy gathered at the state Capitol in opposition to the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest housed there. Shelley Mays/The Tennessean

A protester tries to cover the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest with fabric inside the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville on Monday, August 14, 2017. In wake of Charlottesville, about 75 protesters took aim at Nathan Bedford Forrest bust which is on display at Tennessee Capitol. Shelley Mays/The Tennessean

Sinclair Tucker of Knoxville participates in a protest demanding the removal of a bust honoring Confederate general Nathan Beford Forrest outside the Governor Bill Haslam's office at the State Capitol Monday, Aug. 14, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Troopers stand in front of a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest during a protest at the Tennessee State Capitol Monday, Aug. 14, 2017. A protester covered the bust with a black fabric during the protest. Shelley Mays/The Tennessean

Protesters demand the removal of a bust honoring Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest outside Gov. Bill Haslam's office at the state Capitol on Aug. 14, 2017, in Nashville. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Activist Evan Bunch argues with a Tennessee State trooper asking permission to enter Gov. Bill Haslam’s office during a protest which was condemning the display to the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest displayed at state Capitol. Shelley Mays/The Tennessean

Ava Zach,6, holds her doll as her father, David, speaks at a protest in opposition to the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest being displayed at the state Capitol onMonday, Aug. 14, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. Shelley Mays/The Tennessean

"What he's proposing is a start," Hardaway said. "It's not even a good start. I acknowledge that it’s a start, but it needs to flesh out and there needs to be more conversation about it."

"I'm not looking for a feel-good moment. It's not going to deter me from saying that Nathan Bedford Forrest and all those like him need to be presented in context. That means he needs to be in a museum," Hardaway said.

Hardaway said a bust of Forrest should ultimately be presented alongside context that shows the horrors of slavery in America.

"Put up some pictures of men in big black pots of boiling water with the meat falling off their bones," Hardaway said. "Until he's removed, until he's put alongside those slaves, those babies, those women, those men that were being traded, that were being abused, it's not in context."

Speaking to reporters last week McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said he supported adding context to the bust. Lee, a Republican who recently admitted when he was in college he attended "Old South" parties and was photographed wearing a Confederate uniform, said on Feb. 15 he would support adding context.

Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis, said he believes the bust should still go to a museum, but would like to hear what type of context could be placed alongside the bust that would be appropriate.

"I can't imagine, at this point, what context that you can place beside the bust to make it balanced, or something," Miller said. "The fact of the matter is removal, removal, removal, and I think it needs to be put into a museum."

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Gov. Bill Lee gives his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Gov. Bill Lee gives his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Gov. Bill Lee gives his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Gov. Bill Lee gives his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Gov. Bill Lee gives his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Gov. Bill Lee exits his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Lawmakers applaud Gov. Bill Lee during his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Claire Fox, 4, left, hides behind her mother Jessica as her husband Sean speaks with Tennessee State Senator Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, during Disability Day on the Hill Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Families and advocates of people with disabilities in Tennessee met with lawmakers to express concerns and the needs of the disabled in the state. Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Nashville Mayor David Briley arrives to hear Gov. Bill Lee give his first State of the State address before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly inside the House chambers at the state Capitol in Nashville on Monday, March 4, 2019. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Glen Casada, R-Franklin, talks with Former Speaker of the House Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, before the House of Representatives opening day of the 111th General Assembly on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn.
Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Legislative member Yusuf Hakeem, D-District 28, Sandra Charles, and Addison Bone have their photograph taken before the start of the opening day of the 111th General Assembly on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn.
Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Outgoing House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, left, receives a kiss from newly elected House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, after Harrell handed him the gavel on the opening day of the 111th General Assembly Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Former House Speaker Beth Harwell cries as she receives a standing ovation from her colleagues and newly elected House Speaker Glen Casada during the opening day of the 111th General Assembly on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville. Harwell made history eight years ago as the state’s first female speaker of the House. Mark Zaleski/For The Tennessean

Madelyn Hicks, 3, daughter of legislative member, Gary Hick, plays with her cell phone before the start of the House of Representatives opening day of the 111th General Assembly on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn.
Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Legislative members stand with their families as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the House of Representatives opening day of the 111th General Assembly on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Glen Casada, R-Franklin, is greeted as he walks to the podium after being elected as House Speaker during the 111th General Assembly on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn.
Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, left, is sworn in by Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins, second from right, on the opening day of the 111th General Assembly Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Holding the Bible for Casada is his mother, Karen, and standing to far right is his his father, Dick Casada. Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Newly elected House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, hugs his parents Karen, left, Dick, after being sworn in by Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins on the opening day of the 111th General Assembly Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Flowers for Former Speaker of the House Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, rest on a bench during the House of Representatives opening day of the 111th General Assembly, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

Outgoing House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, left, hands the gavel over to newly elected House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, on the opening day of the 111th General Assembly Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Zaleski/ For the Tennessean

He said Thursday he was "not prepared to say" whether the commission should convene to take up the issue.

Minutes after Casada's remarks, Rep. Harold Love, D-Nashville, said lawmakers could consider a bill in the delayed bills committee — an alternate place for legislation to be formed. Last year, the delayed bills committee helped formulate a last-minute fix to ongoing issues with the state's education testing system.

McNally balked at using that method to address the Forrest bust.

"It would have to be some type of emergency to do that," he said, preferring to defer to the Capitol Commission.

Activists arrested during protest over Forrest bust

Republican leaders' latest comments on the battle over the Forrest bust came as protesters once again showed up at the Capitol.

Activists Justin Jones and Jeneisha Harris were taken into custody by troopers while protesting the bust.

According to Tennessee Highway Patrol, Jones is being charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of disorderly conduct after reportedly throwing a cup of coffee into an elevator, with the coffee hitting Casada and Rep. Debra Moody, R-Covington.

Earlier this month, Jones had a brief clash with Casada while the activist sought to secure a meeting with the speaker.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Harris was charged with, though she was seen attempting to crawl underneath ropes surrounding the bust of Forrest.

More than a dozen protesters waited for Casada outside the House chambers at the end of session on Thursday. One woman held a poster showing men in Ku Klux Klan robes with a space for petition signatures for anyone supportive of removing the bust.

As the woman and other protesters confronted Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, and asked whether she was racist, Weaver replied "some of my best friends are ..."

"Are black?" the woman replied.

"Yes, they are," Weaver said.

CLOSE

Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver's comment came after being asked to sign a petition for the removal of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue at the capitol.
The Tennessean

The protesters continued chanting after Jones and Harris were taken into custody.

In a statement, House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, said the U.S. Constitution gives each citizen the right to peaceably assemble.

"This right should be exercised freely and never infringed upon," she said. "However, to this end, these sacred and protected acts of protest should never include tactics that intend to cause harm to any individual."

But Camper said violence has no place in the halls of the Capitol.

“While we respect the right of citizens to protest for or against causes that we believe in, we have not and will never condone violence," Camper said. "Violence should never be a part of any protest and should never take place within the hallowed halls of our legislature."

House lawmakers, including Casada, have also attempted to quell debate on several occasions, including in the chamber's Thursday floor session.

At one point, Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, said residents of Tennessee should be welcome at committee meetings. As he began to read a Supreme Court ruling about the First Amendment, his microphone was cut off and Casada slammed his gavel.

House Democratic Caucus chairman Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, later attempted to bring up Mitchell's comments but he was similarly cut off by Casada.

The increasing number of protests in recent weeks are likely to continue on Monday, when the governor is set to announce his budget and make his first State of the State address.

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